Governor Election 2024

Make a difference to your local hospital - stand for election as a Governor for Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and help shape the future direction of local health services.

The Dorset County Hospital Governor Election 2024 is now open for nominations. There are elections for governors in the following constituencies:

• Purbeck, East Dorset, Christchurch, Poole and Bournemouth
• West Dorset
• Weymouth and Portland
• North Dorset
• South Somerset/Rest of England
• DCHFT staff

A full list of vacant seats and constituencies is available in the Notice of Election. 

The Council of Governors has a key role to play in representing the views of the Trust’s members and the public – providing a bridge between the hospital and the communities it serves. The governors also have a duty to hold Non-Executive Directors to account for the performance of the Board of Directors. They are also involved in helping to shape the hospital’s strategy.

Governors are required to attend four formal Council of Governors’ meetings a year - papers from previous Council of Governor meetings are available here. In addition, there are opportunities to join a range of committees focused on the constitution, membership, strategy and nominations. A full explanation of the roles and responsibilities of governors is available here.

UK Engage are managing this election on behalf of Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. If you would like to put your name forward to stand for election to the Council of Governors, you will need to complete a nomination form.

The easiest way to do this is to complete the online nomination form on the UK Engage online election portal

If you wish to write your application by hand, you can download and complete a paper nomination form. Once you have filled it in, please post it to UK Engage at the address below. Alternatively you can request a nomination pack by phone or email and UK Engage will send it to you.

Nominations for this election will close at 5pm on Wednesday 22 May 2024.

To stand for election as a Governor of Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, individuals must be at least 18 years old. If you are not already a member more information is available on our membership page.

For information, documentation and frequently asked questions please visit the UK Engage online election portal.

If you have any questions about the nomination process, please contact UK Engage:

Phone: UK Engage on 0345 209 3770

Email: dorsetcounty@uk-engage.org

Write to: UK Engage, Image House, 10 Acorn Business Park, Heaton Lane, Stockport SK4 1AS